Abstract: The mesoporous Zr-Ce-SBA-15 (ZCS) material with short mesochannels was synthesized through a hydrothermal route. A series of Cu-Mn/ZCS catalyst samples with different Cu/Mn ratios and Cu-Mn contents were prepared by impregnation. The structure of the catalyst samples was characterized by N₂ adsorption-desorption, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalytic performance of the catalyst for toluene combustion was evaluated in a fixed-bed microreactor. The results reveal that the Cu-Mn/ZCS catalyst has unique hexagonal platelet morphology and possesses highly ordered two-dimensional hexagonal mesoporous structure with short channels (0.4–0.5 μm). The specific surface area, pore volume, and pore diameter of the 20%Cu-Mn/ZCS are 296 m²/g, 0.42 cm³/g, and 6.4 nm, respectively. Compared with 20%Cu-Mn/SBA-15 with longer channel length (1–2 μm), the temperature of 95% toluene conversion (T₉₅) over 20%Cu-Mn/ZCS decreases from 284 to 270 ^oC, indicating that the short channeled Cu-Mn/ZCS catalyst possesses higher catalytic activity than that over Cu-Mn/SBA-15.

Key words: short mesochannel, copper, manganese, zirconium, cerium, SBA-15 zeolite, toluene, catalytic combustion